ORLANDO, Fla. — Two Orlando city commissioners have already spent more than $90,000 of their budgets, Channel 9 has learned. Now Commissioner Regina Hill is asking for more.
"I have noticed some of us, some of us commissioners, have not adopted a very good culture of spending," Commissioner Jim Gray said Tuesday.
Gray didn't mention names when he spoke at a city budget meeting.
"It's your job as a leader to keep yourself with that budget. If you can't then you need to explain why and make and adjustment," Gray said. "
If you didn't know who he was talking about, it was easy to figure it out.
"I am really slightly offended," Commissioner Regina Hill said at the same meeting.
Commissioners get about $95,000 to spend.
Records show Hill spent much of her allotment it Walmart and on hotels, airline tickets and lunches.
Hill did not apologized for her spending; instead she said she needs more.
"There is so much need in District 5 and District 6. Actually I think I need a larger budget because there is much more work to do," Hill said.
"It's hard for me to imagine how we ask our department heads and employees to make tough critical decisions, that's all I was saying, and if the shoe fits put it on and if it doesn't it doesn't," Gray said.
But as Gray is asking his counterparts to stay under the bottom line, they could be voting next month for a bump in spending.
The city staff is recommending commissioners' budgets to go from $95,000 to $125,000. That's an increase of $180,000 of taxpayer money for commissioners. It is what Hill told the council she wanted.
The $125,000 was the budget years ago, but reduced in 2008.
Hill didn't respond to Channel 9's requests for an interview on the issue.